A New Life
by Miss Southern Belle
Summary: A twist on The Next Life. What if Sookie had stayed home after discovering she was pregnant? Will Eric be able to keep her there or will the pressure of being a mother be too much for Sookie to bear? Spoilers through Dead & Gone.
1. Chapter 1

_A twist on my story The Next Life. What would have happened if Sookie hadn't run away?  
Spoilers through Dead & Gone as well as "Gift Wrap". Enjoy!_

* * *

The roaring flush of the toilet preceded my exit of the bathroom. I washed my face with a damp paper towel before heading back out into the staff hallway. I felt absolutely horrid. For the past few days I'd been throwing up sporadically, but I didn't seem to be showing any other symptoms of an illness like the flu. But there was a virus going around town and working in the only local bar made me highly susceptible to any germs that were brought in.

Sam was waiting for me when I walked back into the bar. Before I could even pick up my tray again to check on my tables, he signaled me over to him. Uh oh. I knew what this meant.

"Sam, I know this looks bad, but really I'm fine." I said before he could get a word in. I could not afford to go home early. I had bills to pay and not enough money to pay them. I still hadn't been paid for my services in Rhodes and now that Sophie-Anne was gone, I doubted I was ever going to see a check.

But to my dismay Sam shook his head. "I'm sorry Sook, but you know the regulations. You're sick and I can't let you work in that condition. Go home and rest for a day and see if you can fight it off. These things seem to be passing pretty quickly. A day of rest away from everyone else should help you get better. I'll call Tanya to cover your shift. Besides we're not really busy, I'm sure Holly can handle it until she gets here."

I sighed. "Fine. But I'm coming back to work in on Thursday." I told him sternly.

"Only if you're better. Now get going. Besides, you deserve a break cher. You've been working hard lately." Sam said gently. He knew I was mad and he was doing his best not to incite my anger while still remaining firm. He was the boss after all, and his word was law.

I drove home more than a little miffed. I'd woken up being sick at my stomach and had actually considered calling in. But after it passed, I'd gone on anyway. And now, here I was, two hours later, driving home. Why had I gotten up at all that morning anyway?

"Sookie, you're home early. Something wrong?" Amelia asked as I came running into the house. Even though its Louisiana the winters were still cold, especially with the chilling wind cutting through you. Just the little jaunt from my car to the back door had been enough to send a chill through me.

"I got sick at work so Sam sent me home." I explained quickly as I hung my jacket up and began to kick off my shoes.

"Oh that sucks. Are you still throwing up?" Amelia asked with some concern. She had heard me paying homage the morning before.

"Yea. I must have caught the bug that's going around. Hopefully it'll pass in a day or two. I can't afford to go on sick leave."

"Well go lay down for a while. I'll handle the phones. Oh! And I'll fix you up a pot of potato soup! That always makes me feel better! Oh but wait, that might be hard for you to keep down. How about I make you some chicken noodle instead?"

"That sounds great Amelia." I huffed. Even to my own ears I didn't sound too grateful. But now that I was home, I found that all I really wanted to do was crawl into bed and go back to sleep. And that was exactly what I intended to do.

I thanked Amelia again for making me lunch, this time sounding much more sincere, before I started to head back to my room. I was halfway down the hall when I heard Amelia giggle a little and call after me jokingly. "Or maybe its just morning sickness!"

I actually laughed. The likelihood of me ever getting pregnant was slim to none. I simply couldn't date (much less sleep with) a normal guy, my "gift" made sure of that. The guys that I did date (and most of the time slept with) either couldn't reproduce because they were technically dead or could get me pregnant but it came with a high chance of miscarriage. Human women tended not to carry were children well, or so I've been told.

But the only were I'd slept with was Quinn and that was months ago. Since then my sex life had been completely nonexistent. At least in reality it was. Every so often my dreams found a way to taunt me with revised memories of my past flings. My subconscious was especially fond of the amnesia ridden Eric with whom I had spent several days and many amazing nights.

No! No no no no no! I absolutely could not go there now! Now that Eric had his memory back, thinking about our time together had become off limits. Having him know just how much I had enjoyed his company would boost his ego to the point of being unbearable. I could just see his smug face now. Ugh! Damn vampire. It was only a quarter till one in the afternoon and he was already giving me grief.

I shucked my work uniform off in record time and quickly pulled on my gray, pink, and white plaid pajama pants and an oversized t-shirt before climbing into bed. I couldn't believe how exhausted I was. I laid in bed just thinking over the different events in my life now. The weres and shifters had come out about their existence almost three weeks ago. So far the response hadn't been too bad. As always there were always some people who just couldn't accept anything other than what had been included in their reality for so long. But, mostly, the Were community was having an easier time being accepted than the vampires had been. After all, shifters were human and still alive. They just went through a change once a month, not unlike every woman after puberty.

These were the thoughts that I drifted off to sleep on. I dreamt of wolves and rabbits and horses mingling with humans at work and at home, wearing human clothes, and eating human food. Although I didn't know why the wolf had an Australian accent and the rabbit spoke with youthful slang. The horse was wearing a top hat and a monocle.

I woke up feeling sluggish and my brain felt fuzzy. Instantly I rolled over and buried my face back in the pillow in hopes of finding sleep again. For the brief instant my eyes were open I spied the digital clock on my nightstand. The digits 6:32 were glowing faintly in the darkness of my room.

I sat up quickly and looked out the window. Sure enough, it was already dark out. Well damn. I hadn't planned on sleeping that late. I hadn't planned on sleeping at all! Obviously my body had other ideas. I must be sicker than I thought. Maybe I would pay a visit to the doctor in a day or two if nausea and fatigue didn't go away. But I figured that this bug would pass by the time I was scheduled to go back to work on Thursday night.

Reluctantly I rolled out of bed and the moment I did I regretted it. I dashed into the bathroom and had a long discussion with my toilet about my eating habits. Apparently, I hadn't been eating enough. Of course I'd slept straight through lunch. Suddenly I was craving some of Amelia's home made chicken noodle soup.

After washing my face with a cold rag and pulling my hair back I headed for the kitchen, praying that I wasn't going to have to stop at the hallway bathroom for an emergency prayer session. Thankfully I made it to the kitchen without incident. I saw a note sitting on the table for me from Amelia.

_Sookie,_

_I didn't want to wake you so I left the soup in the pot in the fridge. I'm going out with Tray but I have my cell so call if you need me to pick up something for you._

_Hope you feel better!_

_Amelia_

I couldn't blame her for wanting to get out of the house. There was nothing worse than having to hear someone gagging every few hours. I fixed myself a big bowl of soup and a class of sweet tea and took it to the den to eat. As crappy as I was felt I just wanted to be comfortable. I flipped through channels and settled for watching an episode of House. I didn't watch the show often but I was always highly amused by the episodes I did see. Sometimes I wished I could be as emotionless and cold as House. It sure would have made my life a hell of a lot easier.

The soup was soothing and just bland enough that I was able to keep it down. It warmed me from the inside out and made me feel better than I had all day. I ate two bowls before feeling that I'd reached my limit. I cleaned the dishes and settled back down on the couch with the hideous quilt that I had used to cover Eric and myself on the floor in front of the fireplace during that week that he had stayed with me. It was hard to believe that it had been exactly one year ago that I had found him running down Hummingbird Drive in nothing but a pair of jeans. So much had happened since then. So many things had changed.

I drifted back off to sleep again. This time I dreamt of lying in front of a roaring fire, covered with my quilt, talking to the most gorgeous man I had ever met.

By the time I woke up on Thursday, I was no better. I spent most of the morning throwing up my supper from the night before. When I wasn't curled up on the bathroom floor I was curled up in bed trying to get some sleep. I rested until noon, but never slept. Finally, I had enough and went into the kitchen to eat some more soup. Amelia made me more yesterday when she saw how quickly I had gone through the first pot. Sometimes Amelia could be a little hard to deal with but dammit she knew how to take care of someone when they were feeling sick.

After a light lunch, I started getting ready to run a few errands before I went into work that evening. I convinced myself that if I could stand to go out and run errands, then I could work that night. Nothing was going to keep me from going work. So I pulled on a pair of comfortable jeans and a warm sweater before applying some light make up, just enough to make me look healthy.

I drove to the drug store in a partial stupor. I discovered that as soon as I was a away from the house I wanted to go right back to it. Even in my comfortable clothes I felt awkward and yucky. I just wanted to get back to the house and get back into my pjs. I heard myself make a disgruntled noise, something between a groan and a cry. Maybe I would call in to work tonight after all.

As I parked in the parking lot I made a mental list of the few things that I needed. Pepto. I definitely needed some Pepto. Maybe some Dramamine too. That would work better than Pepto. I'd pick up a Sprite too. That was what Gran always made me drink when I was sick. That's why I couldn't drink it now, it always reminded me of being ill.

Inside I grabbed one of those little plastic baskets and made my way directly to the medicine isle. I found both things that I was looking for and threw them into the basket. After that I meandered through the other isles, picking up a few other things that I needed while I was here. I had picked up the last item and was walking through the feminine section when I stopped in front of the at home pregnancy test. Amelia had commented more than once about it being morning sickness (always joking, of course) and how exactly she knew the details of morning sickness, I wasn't sure but it was enough to unnerve me.

It was impossible for me to be pregnant. The majority of the men I slept with were incapable of reproducing and the few exceptions I hadn't talked to in a few months. There was absolutely no way that I could be pregnant.

Except...

I grabbed a test without looking and threw it into the basket as I made my way to the check out. I tried to keep some resolve, not wanting to appear nervous to the girl behind the check out, but on the inside I was panicking. It just couldn't be possible. There was no way.

I thanked her and rushed out of the store as quickly as I could. The drive back home went by quicker than the trip there. I couldn't remember a time that I had wanted to get home so badly. I was anxious to prove the little voice in the back of my head wrong. At twenty-eight years old with no husband and no future plans for myself there was absolutely no way I could be pregnant.

I made a beeline for my bedroom as soon I got home. I shut and locked my bedroom door behind me before I dumped the contents of the bag onto my bed. I grabbed the pregnancy test and went into the bathroom. I paced back and forth as I read the directions on the back of the box. Okay, simple enough. Pee on the stick and then wait for the line to turn a certain color. Pink was positive. Blue was negative.

Okay, I could do this.

I did my duty and set the test on the counter beside the sink. The directions said that I had to wait 90 seconds. Just a minute and a half and I could stop this senseless panicking. There was no possible way that I was pregnant. Even with what had happened a few weeks ago there was still no way. It was one night with a Were. The chances that I was now carrying his baby had to be slim to none.

That thought brought me more worry than comfort.

When I couldn't stand the wait anymore I gathered up the things on my bed and took them to the kitchen. Amelia was sitting at the kitchen table eating a sandwich when I got there. She noticed my anxiety the instant I walked into the room.

"What's wrong Sookie?" She asked with great concern. Her eyes followed me as I moved to the medicine cabinet.

"Nothing, I hope." I answered with vague honesty. I didn't want her to know that I'd picked up a pregnancy test. Not yet, at least. I hadn't spoken to anyone about what happened at my house on Christmas Eve. I had planned to take that secret to my grave. I prayed that I would get that chance.

But, apparently, part of my telepathy was beginning to wear off on her. That, or I as just very easy to read.

"Sookie I know when you've got something heavy on your mind. And whatever this is, it must weigh a ton. So come on, spill it."

I sighed. "I picked up a pregnancy test at the store. I'm waiting for the results."

For the first time since I've known her Amelia was actually stunned silent, both verbally and mentally. She just stared at me for a minute while she processed everything I had just told her. From the waves I was getting from her brain she didn't think it was possible that I could be pregnant either. After all I only slept with dead guys.

"But...how? I mean, you haven't talked to Quinn since the takeover have you?" Her voice was softer than normal as she continued to process this information.

"I don't think its Quinn's." I replied darkly. If I was pregnant then there was only one person who the baby could belong to.

"Then whose do you think it is?"

I proceeded to tell her about what had happened on Christmas Eve and my one night stand with a man who I had never met and was unlikely to ever see again. We were both quiet after that. For once I was too troubled with my own thoughts to notice was Amelia was thinking.

"How long does it take?" Amelia asked, breaking the silence.

"A minute and a half."

"Its probably finished now."

"I know."

"Do you want me to go look?" Amelia offered.

"No, but I'd appreciate me if you came with me."

God bless her Amelia got up and hugged me tight before wrapping her arm around mine and giving me a brilliant smile. It reassured me and helped me gain back some of my confidence.

"Come on girl." She said as she began to lead me from the kitchen and back into my room. "Besides, what's the likelihood that you would be pregnant? Even if you are one-eighth fae, its not likely that that would be enough to help the process along. You've probably just got a worse case of whatever is going around because you've been exposed to it more. Not to mention all of the stress you've been under. Its amazing that you haven't gotten sick before now."

I stopped listening to what Amelia had to say about half way through. I was too busy staring at the test lying on the bathroom counter. Amelia noticed I wasn't paying much attention and I could feel her start to get irritated before she followed my gaze.

One of us gasped. The line was pink.  


* * *

_So this is what has been distracting me for the past week. As I began planning more details for The Next Life I couldn't help but think of all of the little things that I was missing out on writing about by setting the story twenty years into Sookie's future. While it does create for a unique plot I couldn't help but want to write a different version of the events that happen._

_This also gives me a chance to deal with the issues presented by Dead & Gone. While I won't be following the story completely, I will be addressing some of the events in D&G in my own way. Plus I really wanted to showcase Eric's fatherly nature from his human years._

_I want to give a huge thank you to SEOrwin for reading over this chapter even after a long day. Thank you so much girl!_

_Now I'd like to mention that I am not a mother and I've never been pregnant. So, for all you moms out there, if I get something wrong or if there is any information you think I should know about **please** PM me! I can only learn so much by researching stuff on WebMD and other online baby sites._

_Reviews make Eric want to come to the rescue!  
_


	2. Chapter 2

I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my nephew Kale Bishop, who was born Thursday, July 9th, 2009. (Which also happened to be my twentieth birthday. Hehe!)

* * *

The line was pink.

The test was positive.

I was pregnant. Despite all of the odds, I was pregnant.

There are no words to describe the noise that I made as my knees gave out. Amelia reacted quickly and wrapped her arms tighter around me to keep me from falling to the ground. Slowly she began to lead me out of the bathroom.

"Shh Sookie. It's okay. You're going to be okay." She cooed as she walked me into my room and set me down on my bed. "It could be a false positive. That happens you know."

I shook my head furiously as tears began to spill down my face. I knew that it wasn't a false positive. Now that I was staring it in the face I knew that it had to be true. I had gotten pregnant by a one night stand with a Were. The events that had led to the baby's conception, the one night stand I had sworn I would never have, fueled my need to cry even harder.

Amelia, bless her soul, gathered me up close to her and cradled me the same way my Gran had when she had comforted me. The witch rocked us back and forth gently as she shushed me softly. Though my mind was reeling from shock I could still pick up her own anxiety. She had no idea how to handle this. She didn't have the first idea about how to comfort me. Putting her distaste for the fairy aside she was thinking about calling Claudine.

I couldn't stop myself from crying. Actually, I was beyond crying. Now I was sobbing. Every time I thought about the little pink line I thought about a dozen reasons why I shouldn't be having a baby. First and foremost, I was a waitress in a bar! I could barely support myself! How was I supposed to support myself and a baby too?!

Then there were the supes. Oh God what would happen when they found out about the baby?! Especially the vampires. They already held everything over me! How many times had I been reminded about how powerful and manipulative vampires could be? Hell, three months ago the entire state had been taken over by the Nevada vampires in a single night! Sure I was in the King's protection but would that protection extend to my baby? Only if they saw it as a way to use it against me! If my baby was under their protection then they could always threaten with taking that away. That was no way to raise a baby!

What about the Weres? Surely his father would want something to do with his life. But would the Baton Rouge pack take him since he was only half Were? If not would Alcide's pack accept him when he came of age? We didn't have the best history together but surely Alcide wouldn't deny helping my child, would he? What about Sam? What was he gonna think about all of this?

And Niall, what kind of role would he want to play into the baby's life? Of course he'd have even less fae blood than me, so maybe he wouldn't matter to my great-grandfather at all. But what if he did? Would the Were's have a problem with that?

And then there were the humans. Acceptance of the Were community was pretty universal but how would his peers accept him knowing that his father turned into a big wolf once a month? That _he_ turned into a wolf once a month? Well, something close to a wolf anyway.

While I was having my mental break down I failed to notice that Amelia had grabbed my phone off the bedside table and was in the process of calling someone from my contact list.

"I don't care if its your freaking lunch hour! You're her fairy godmother and she needs you right now dammit!" She was hissing into the phone. Claudine. She must have been talking to Claudine.

Part of me expected my fairy cousin to come popping into the room right then, but she didn't. I wasn't really aware of how much time passed until Claudine finally showed up. After Amelia got off the phone she went back to cuddling me and trying to calm me down. Eventually she got me out of my room and curled up on the couch with a box of Kleenex. Every time I tried to calm down I just found myself crying even harder.

_Stop trying to calm yourself down!_ That nagging voice was back, the same one that had been telling me I was pregnant. _You deserve to cry! Now more than ever! Let it out! Better out than in._

Now that I had my own permission I cried until my tears were gone and I was left hiccuping and coughing into Amelia's shoulder. I was left in a timeless void until I was so exhausted that I couldn't even attempt to cry anymore. I was left sitting on the couch feeling completely numb.

"Do you want me to get you anything? Something to drink?" Amelia asked me. I felt myself shake my head slightly. I couldn't think of anything to say. Even the simplest thought processes seemed like a complex algebraic problem that I couldn't even begin solving.

But Amelia seemed to need a drink more than I did because a moment later she excused herself softly and I heard her walk off into the kitchen. I couldn't blame her. If I was a little more stable I'd want a drink too.

_No, I can't drink anymore,_ I reminded myself. There were going to be a lot of things that I couldn't do anymore. Its not like I drank a lot anyway, but now even social drinking was out of the question. I couldn't take any of the medicines I usually took and I'd have to change to prenatal vitamins. And I'd have to find a OB/GYN. Could I go to a regular OB/GYN, though? Or would I need to go to a Were doctor? Did they have special OB/GYN for supes? The women of Hotshot always took care of each other when they were pregnant. I shuddered. No way I wanted them helping me with my baby. I actually wanted to see someone who's be to school for this sort of thing.

Before I could work myself up again I heard a familiar pop and an instant later my fairy god mother was standing in front of me with a mixture of pure elation and extreme sadness on her face.

"Oh Sookie!" Claudine cooed as she drew me into a bear hug. A soft sigh broke through my lips as I returned the gesture. Whether it was because she was a full blooded fairy or because it was just Claudine, her hug did see to make me feel a little better.

After a minute of hugging and fairy comfort Claudine lowered both of us onto the couch. Her big brown eyes were full of sympathy as she sat down next to me. With my hands clasped in hers she started crying along with me. What the hell?! Why was she crying?!

"Why are you crying, Claudine?" I sniffed.

"I'm just so happy for you Sookie!" My fairy godmother said with a bright smile, despite her crocodile tears. "You've always wanted a baby, haven't you? I know this isn't the most ideal situation but that doesn't matter. You're going to have the family you've always wanted!"

I stared at her. I hadn't really thought all of this through. It was true that I had always wanted to have a child of my own, to have a family, but as I was pulled further and further down into the underground world of the supes that dream drifted even further and further away from reality. Up until now it had seemed an impossibility that I could be pregnant.

But, apparently, nothing is impossible.

"But Claudine I can't have a baby!" I exclaimed. "I'm a waitress in a bar for Christ's sake! I can't afford to raise a child."

Claudine's tears had dried up but her smile certainly hadn't. She smiled at me lovingly as she said "Sookie, if you couldn't raise this baby then do you really think you'd be pregnant?"

Her observation was one that I had not otherwise considered. I was stunned silent for a moment while I thought it over. I had always believed in God and I couldn't imagine that he would honestly bestow me with a new life if he didn't think I could handle it. Sure there would be hard times but we would get through it.

I smiled and put my hand over my stomach. It was too early to feel anything but just knowing that there was another life growing inside me made me smile. He was here now so there was no point in trying to fight it.

"What am I suppose to do now, Claudine? I don't know where to even begin planning for this baby." I asked my fairy godmother. However, she wasn't the one who answered.

"We start to decorate the baby room, of course!" Amelia replied. She was standing in the doorway with a cup of coffee in her hand and a big grin on her face. I could tell that she was glad that I had stopped crying. Apparently she handled weepy women just as well as Eric did.

"Oh yes! Its never too early to begin decorating the baby's room!" Claudine agreed, grinning just as wide as the witch.

I laughed a little. "But we don't know what the baby is going to be yet."

"That doesn't matter. We can't paint the room a gender neutral color! Oh what about a pretty light green?" Amelia suggested.

"Or a soft yellow." Claudine added.

We spent the rest of the afternoon discussing all of the different options for the baby's room, which we all agreed would be the room that I used to live in. I'd have to move all of my old furniture out to put in a crib. Amelia and Claudine offered to add wards and charms of protection which I would be glad to add as soon as the baby was here.

After a few hours we agreed that on Claudine's next day off we'd all take a trip to Monroe to visit the big book store they had to pick up a few books. We'd end up making a trip to the mall too, no doubt. They had a maternity clothing store there as well as several baby boutiques. With Amelia and Claudine there was no time to waste when it came to decorating the baby's room.

A little before sunset Claudine gave me a big hug and said good-bye to us. She had to get back to start her shift at the strip club that she and her brother owned. I thanked her and watched as she popped out of my living room as suddenly as she had.

I walked over to Amelia and gave her a big hug. "Thank you, Amelia. I know you and Claudine don't get along very well but I appreciate you doing that for me."

Amelia was feeling a little embarrassed as she hugged me back. "Well I knew she'd help you feel better too. Besides, she had some pretty good ideas about decorating."

We both laughed and began to sort through Amelia's movie collection to find a comedy to get our mind off of what had happened today. She popped a bag of popcorn and I pulled a bottle of water from the fridge. No time like the present to start watching what I put in my body. After all, I was eating for two now.

With our bowl of popcorn between us we settled down on the couch and were just about to start the movie when the phone rang. Both of us sighed and looked at each other to see who was going to get it.

"Its probably for you anyway." I said. She rolled her eyes but got up to get the phone.

I chuckled to myself and popped a few more kernels into my mouth as I half way paid attention to the trailers playing before the movie. But when I felt a shift in Amelia's mood I turned my attention back to her and the one sided conversation she was having on the phone.

"No, she's fine!" She was arguing into the phone. "Listen, she's had a long day, I really don't think she needs any more visitors."

She went silent as she listened to the person on the other end of the phone. I had a bad feeling about who was on the other end of the phone. A second later she confirmed my suspicion.

"Eric you listen to me." She hissed into the phone. "Right now Sookie just needs to rest. Don't you dare come over here and stir up something. Hello? Dammit!" She slammed the phone down and stomped back into the living room. "Eric is on his way over." She told me as she sat back down on the couch.

"Why is he coming over?" I asked, my own aggravation mixing with hers. Neither of us were happy to hear that the Viking vampire was coming to visit. I had hoped to have an uneventful evening to cancel out the rest of the day's events. But, apparently, I wasn't going to get what I wished for.

"He felt a disturbance in the force." Amelia muttered dryly. I must have had a confused look on my face because she sighed softly and explained. "He said he felt your panic during the day and he wanted to know what was wrong. I tried to tell him that nothing was wrong but of course he didn't believe me. So now he's coming to see for himself."

"Ugh!" I growled as my head fell back onto the couch. Why, now that I was actually comfortable and happy, was the Viking coming to ruin my night?

"You could always rescind his invitation before he gets here." Amelia suggested with a small about of hope in her voice. But even she was thinking that it wouldn't help. He would just stand outside the house all night calling to me until I got annoyed enough to let him in.

"Did he say if he was driving?" I asked, but before any answer could come there was a knock at the door. Well, that answered that question.

"You don't have to let him in." Amelia said.

"Yes, she does." Eric called from behind the door.

Both Amelia and I shot a glare at the door.

"Sookie, will you let me in?" He asked.

Honestly, I was surprised that he hadn't just come rushing in. But if he knew how ticked I was then perhaps he had finally learned how to tiptoe around me.

"Fine. But I don't want to deal with any of your bullshit tonight Northman, I'm not in the mood for it." I growled. Hey, I 'm pregnant. Pregnant women are allowed to be bitchy.

Faster than my mortal eyes could see, the Viking was towering over me. His cool blue eyes stared into me and I actually drew away from it. It was like he was looking for something and I knew it wouldn't take him long to find it.

"You are not happy that I am here." He stated after a minute of serious concentration on my face.

"No shit Sherlock." I said before I could stop myself. Eric raised one of his glorious blond eyebrow at me as the sarcastic expression went over his head. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.

Looking back at my roommate I frowned, "Amelia, do you mind.."

"Yea, I was already planning to head up to my room. I've got to check my email." The witch replied, already knowing what I was going to ask. It would be easier to handle Eric if we were alone.

"Can I get you a TruBlood?" I asked as I gestured for him to have a seat. He sat in the recliner across from me but simply rose his hand to wave away the offer.

"I have already fed. Now, tell me, what caused you such distress? Was it your brother?" The way he practically growled the second question made him seem less than comforting.

But if course he would think that it was my brother. If it wasn't Jason then it would be some other man causing me to cry my eyes out at all hours of the day. I hadn't realized just how complication men could make your life. No wonder Pam swung for the other team.

"No Eric, it wasn't my brother. It wasn't a guy at all. And even if it was, it wouldn't be any of your business."

"But since it seems that your problems do not involve a member of the opposite gender then I don't guess it matters. And, since we are now bound, I believe that it would very much be my business."

I glared at him for a minute. There was still a lot that we had to discuss but I wasn't in the mood to even talk about that now. There were more important things to talk about now. Slowly my anger began to ebb away as the reality of the situation hit me once again. Gently I rested my hand on my stomach and looked down into my lap. This was really happening.

Our bond must have alerted him to the fact that I was getting even more upset because in the net instant Eric was sitting beside me and had his big hands resting gently on my shoulders. His clear blue eyes were looking down me with such great concern that it made me want to break down right then.

"Sookie, what's wrong?" He asked me softly.

And that was the last straw for my resolve not to cry again that day. The tears flowed freely and I quickly buried my face in my hands to hide it.

For a minute Eric didn't move. This was far too awkward of a situation for him to deal with. The last time I'd cried in front of him we had been in an elevator in Dallas. I'd ruined his nice shirt that day. That was the first time that I realized that the Viking did have a weakness, crying women.

Either he had gotten over that or he just didn't care because he pulled me to his chest and wrapped his big arms around me. He stroked my hair and back as I cried onto his shoulder. He didn't try to shush me or comfort me in any other way other than holding me.

We sat like that until finally my tears ran dry. I continued to sob and pant for breath as he leaned down and whispered in my ear. "Sookie, tell me what is wrong."

And for once I did what he wanted me to do, I told him exactly what was wrong with me.

"Eric, I'm pregnant!"

* * *

Wow! I know, its been forever since I've updated, hasn't it? I told y'all I hadn't forgotten about this fic! It just took me a little while to get around to it...

I find that its more difficult to write about something that you don't know anything about. I don't like to BS things because I know that there are many readers out there who have children and I just don't think it would be right to not do as much research as possible into it. So, to all you mom's out there, if there is anything else you think I should know _please_ tell me!

I want to give a big thanks to SEOrwin for giving me advice ontop of finding time to proof read all of my chapters. She's been a great help.  
I also want to thank all of my readers who have read and reviewed not just this story but The Next Life as well. It means the world to me!

Plus good reviews make Eric want to be a good daddy.


	3. Chapter 3

You never really know how someone is going to react when you tell them that you're pregnant. If they are of any great importance to you, you hope that they'll be happy for you; that they'll shower you with love and congratulations and ask all of the questions that you have no way of answering. When is it due? What is it? Are there more than one? And, even if they aren't of any great importance, you still hope they'll be kind to your face about it. That's what any decent person would do anyway.

But when that person is a possessive, thousand year old vampire Viking named Eric Northman, it's really hard to tell exactly how decent he's going to be. I had no idea how Eric was going to react. I had no expectations of him being gracious about the situation. In fact, I wouldn't really have been surprised if he'd instantly blown his top and starting yelling things in a language that I didn't understand before he started smashing in my furniture. After all, that was what I had come to expect out of Eric Northman.

This really hadn't been a day of expectations though.

"Eric, I'm pregnant!" I shouted at him after he'd finally driven me to my peak. We sat staring at each other as an awkward silence fell between us. You could have cut the tension with a knife.

I watched his face carefully, looking for any sign of stray emotion that could warn me about what was about to happen. But he was still staring down at me with completely blank eyes. Even across the blood bond I felt nothing. He was completely emotionless, like a hollow shell. For once, he really did seem dead.

"Eric?" I questioned timidly, trying to get any sign of life from him. Honestly, it was more unnerving to see him like this than it would be to see him throwing a hissy fit. At least I know how to deal with him and one of his temper tantrums!

"Eric." I asked again with a little more umph.

"What?" He snarled in response. I flinched back as he rose from the couch and began to pace around the living room.

I turned my eyes to the floor and took a moment to steel my resolve. We were going to have this conversation no matter how much of a dick Eric wanted to be. If he was troubled enough to come over after he felt my anxiety then he could deal with the issue. For once Eric Northman was getting exactly what he asked for.

"Well aren't you going to say something?" I finally asked him. I was beginning to get angry. So angry that I felt the need to punch a wall or break something. That certainly couldn't be healthy. But I realized that it was because of the blood bond. I was sharing Eric's aggression and I was sure he was feeling a little bit of my own.

"What do you want me to say Sookie?" He asked me furiously. "Do you want me to tell you that I'm happy for you? Do you want me to tell you that I'm excited that you are caring another man's child?"

"No, but I want you to say something dammit! You're the one who wanted to know why I was so upset! You're the one who had to came see, even though Amelia told you not to! Now you're here and you can't just avoid the situation." I yelled back at him. I felt bad for yelling because I knew Amelia would be able to hear us. But, really, she'd find out anyway.

"Like you?" He snarled at me.

I flinched and Eric visibly seemed to regret it. I saw (and felt) him trying to calm his temper before he said anything else stupid.

"You wanted to know." I told him after a moment, keeping my anger under control. At least I was trying to.

"Yes, but I certainly didn't agree to be happy about it." His accent was becoming more pronounced now. That was always a good sign that the Viking was upset.

"I'm not asking you to be happy about it Eric. Lord knows I'm not happy! I mean I've always wanted to have a baby, but not like this! I wanted to at least be in some sort of stable relationship. I wanted all sorts of things but that's just not the way things are working out." I confessed to him.

"Then what are you asking of me?"

"I don't know." I admitted to him. "Just don't storm off and leave things unfinished."

He seemed to sigh and he turned his back to me, staring into the fireplace. "I wasn't planning on storming off." He said after a moment. "There is still much I have to learn. Who is the child's father?"

Every warning bell in my head screamed at me not to tell him the truth. But what else was I suppose to tell him? Besides, if I didn't tell him now he'd find out sooner or later and then he'd be even more upset.

"A Were named Preston Pardloe." I admitted a little shyly. No matter what way I looked at it, I couldn't help but be ashamed about the events that had led to this.

If I thought Eric was mad before then he was absolutely livid now. Maybe it was the fire he was standing in front of, but for a moment I thought I saw the air around him start to sizzle; like seeing the heat rising off a car in the middle of July. That was scary.

"You bedded a Were?" He asked through clenched teeth. I noticed he had his fist clenched at his side. They were starting to shake with the force of his anger.

"Well who else do you expect it to be? I can't sleep with any normal man and its impossible for a vampire to get me pregnant."

Eric was quiet again. I could tell that he was thinking. He was probably trying to decide who he wanted to kill first.

"Is he one of the Shreveport pack?" He was still speaking carefully.

"Umm, no, not exactly." I answered hesitantly.

Even the air stood still as I waited for Eric's reaction. I noticed his fist shaking and a small trickle of blood trailing down the side of his hand. Uh oh.

"Then to what pack does he owe his allegiance?" His voice was so heavy with an accent that I almost didn't understand him.

"Baton Rouge." I answered timidly. I knew his response would not be pretty.

I was right. Quicker than my eyes could see he punched the brick wall of my fireplace, leaving the bricks cracked and broken, leaving an impressive dent the size of his massive fist. A few small pieces fell away as he slowly pulled his fist out of the hole in my wall and let it fall to his side.

"And how did you come to share a bed with a wolf from Baton Rouge?" He asked without looking back at me. I had a feeling that he wasn't going to look at me for a very long time.

With a heavy sigh I began to retell the events of my Christmas Eve. I told him about the injured man I found in the woods behind my house and how I had hidden him when the Monroe pack came to search for him; and how one thing had led to another.

"I hadn't heard from you in weeks, Eric. I hadn't heard from anyone! Amelia and Octavia were gone. I was lonely."

"So you took the first stray man you could find into your bed?!" He snapped harshly.

Now it was my turn to do some yelling. "You listen to me Eric Northman! I made a mistake. I know I did and its one that I'm going to live with for the rest of the life. But I do not need you to come in here and accuse me of being a sleaze. So if that's all you are going to do then you can just leave!"

Eric spun around to face me, his face hard. "You are mine." He hissed as he took a step closer to me.

"I am not yours." I hissed back. "And even if I were you hadn't contacted me in weeks! No phone calls. No late night visits. Nothing! I hadn't even heard from Pam! For all I knew Felipe had taken you off to Vegas never to be seen again! How was I supposed to know when, or if, I'd ever see you again?!"

That seemed to make him back off a bit. He did, at least, take a step back. "I was trying to keep you safe. I didn't want anyone coming to pay you any unexpected visits." He explained. "But I guess it seemed to have had an opposite effect."

We glared at each other from across the room. I was proud of myself for having as much heat behind my stare as his eyes did. For once I wasn't going to let this Viking overpower me.

But as we stood there mulling over our anger I began to feel my fury replaced by something else. Pain. Betrayal. Emasculated? The last emotion confused me greatly and it made me realize that I was feeling Eric's emotions, not my own. Was he really feeling that inadequate? Surely he'd slept with human women before who had gone on to become mothers. Why wasn't this time any different?

_Because he loves you._

The realization struck me from nowhere. Instantly I wanted to believe that it was true but I was too afraid of being hurt to believe that it was so. Eric Northman would never admit, to himself or anyone else, that he was in love; especially with a human woman.

Even as I tried to steel my resolve again, to maintain my anger, it continued to slip further and further away. Now that I understood why he was upset it was hard to be so angry with him. With a sigh I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his waist and laid my head against his chest. No matter how angry or upset I was, this was always where I felt at home.

After a moment of reluctance he wrapped his arms loosely around me. We stood together for a long moment gathering our thoughts and calming down. Finally I gained the courage to speak again.

"Eric you know that if I could choose anyone to be the father of my baby I would choose you, right?"

For the first time that night I felt him chuckle. "I should hope so. Our child would really be quite beautiful, since both of us have blond hair and blue eyes." He said as he ran his fingers through my hair.

"You really have a thing for blonds don't you?" I asked. It hadn't escaped my notice that Pam also had blond hair. I couldn't recall the color of her eyes at the moment. I made a mental note to check the next time I saw her.

"Oh man." I said suddenly. "Pam is going to flip."

Eric just laughed. "Oh yes. Pam has been hoping that one of our waitresses would come of child so that she could throw them a bath."

I snort. "You mean a baby shower?"

"Yes. Whatever it is you women do to celebrate gaining weight and getting sick every morning."

"Hey now, as one of those women, I resent that. It's not about celebrating all of the changes we are going through but to celebrate a new life being born. It's celebrating being a mom. Plus it's a good chance to get a lot of things that you'll need for free. Like diapers and clothes and furniture." I trailed off. Just thinking about all of the things I was going to need made my head spin. The cost of everything was going to be insane.

"Sookie." Eric said gently, pulling me back into reality. I looked up to see his big blue eyes looking warmly into mine. "Don't worry about all of those things now. When the time comes we will prepare, but for now we need to get you ready."

I couldn't help but smile. "It sounds like you've done this before Mr. Northman."

His eyes darken a little and instantly I know I've brought up something bad. "I had three children when I was alive. They were all still very young when I was turned, but I do still remember what it was like to be a father."

Needless to say I was shocked. Eric had not once spoken about his past or even hinted about it for that matter! I would have never expected that he had been a father in his human life. It wasn't that he didn't seem the type, but I had come to know the ruthless vampire. It was just hard to imagine that he had once had children. For a brief moment I imagined him sitting in a chair with one child in his lap and the other two at his feet, listening as he told them a story about some grand Viking adventure. It made my heart swell.

"Would you be willing to do it again? Be a father, I mean." I asked him hesitantly. I wasn't sure he would want to be asked a question. "I mean she's going to need a father and I don't know if I'll be able to find Preston or not. And, even if I do, there is no guarantee that he will want anything to do with either of us."

He seems stunned for all of a second before he smiles. I see a light appear in his eyes that I had never seen before. "Sookie, it would be an honor to be the father of your child."

Again I felt my eyes flooding with tears as I tightened my grip around him. That was the best news I had heard all night. "Thank you." I mumble against his chest.

I feel him nod before he snickers and asks. "So what makes you so sure it's going to be a girl?"

* * *

Not quite as long as the last chapter, but I know its been a while since I've updated. It took me a while to decide how, exactly, I wanted this chapter to end. But I'm really happy with it now. I hope you guys agree with me!

And for all of you who have read The Next Life, I'm working on Chapter 7 right now! If all goes according to plan then I should have it posted at the end of the week. Don't worry, I haven't abandoned it.

Thanks always to my SEOrwin for being a wonderful beta and muse! 3

Reviews are love!


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